TLDR: The UK Home Office is set to trial advanced artificial intelligence technology, specifically facial age estimation, to resolve disputes over the ages of asylum seekers claiming to be children. This cost-effective AI system, trained on millions of verified images, aims to provide quicker and more accurate age assessments, with potential integration into the asylum system by 2026 following further testing. The move comes amidst concerns from border watchdogs regarding the accuracy of current assessment methods.
The United Kingdom’s Home Office has announced plans to pilot cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of age assessments for asylum seekers. The initiative focuses on facial age estimation, a sophisticated AI system designed to determine the age of individuals whose claims to be children are disputed.
Ministers anticipate rolling out this technology for migrants arriving via small boats and lorries by 2026, contingent on successful trials and further evaluation slated for this year. The decision to adopt AI stems from a multi-year analysis by the Home Office into scientific and technological methods to bolster the existing age assessment process. Border Security and Asylum Minister, Dame Angela Eagle, stated, ‘Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can play.’
The AI system is trained on millions of images of individuals with confirmed ages, enabling it to produce age estimates with a known degree of accuracy for those whose age is unknown or disputed. Early assessments suggest that this facial age estimation technology could yield ‘workable results much quicker than other potential methods,’ making it the ‘most cost-effective option’ for such assessments.
This move addresses long-standing challenges within the current age assessment framework. Presently, initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant’s physical appearance and demeanor. A recent report from the borders watchdog highlighted that it is ‘inevitable’ some decisions will be erroneous without a ‘foolproof test’ of chronological age, expressing ‘clear cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled.’ The Home Office has accepted all recommendations from this report, including evaluating initial age decision training.
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While the Refugee Council welcomed the government’s response to the watchdog’s report, they also urged caution regarding the deployment of AI for age determination. The government’s objective, as outlined in the Immigration White Paper published on May 12, is to improve the robustness of the age assessment process, ensuring that adults are not wrongly identified as children, and vice versa, within the asylum or immigration system.
